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Character Creation
Determining Race and Background (page 61) (page 62) Human Humans are the most prevalent race in Raxia. Their appearance is no different from humans in the real world. Because of their many abilities and aptitudes, they are also the most common race among adventurers. They reach adulthood at the age of 15, and their lifespan is approximately 100 years. Starting Languages: Can read and write local language (p.78) and Trade Common (p.78) Restricted Abilities: none Racial Abilities Salvation/Change Fate: Once per day on any Action Resolution, Damage Calculation, or Loot Determination, you can switch the face on the rolled 2d to the opposite side. A die roll of 1 becomes 6, 2 becomes 5, and 3 becomes 4. Conversely, this might also switch your result to a lower number, but you cannot choose to switch only one die. For example, if you roll 1 and 4 on 2d and use Salvation/Change Fate, the dice become 6 and 3. If you have an automatic failure (p.97) with 1 and 1, you can change this to an automatic success (p.97) of 6 and 6. Human Background * - Use this row when choosing your background, instead of determining it with a dice roll. (page 63) Elf Elves are taller than humans, a race with beautifully elegant appearance, and an affinity for magic. They prefer to live on the shore and in the areas surrounding freshwater lakes and rivers. While they love nature and calmly enjoying their long lives, Elves who leave on journeys out of a strong sense of curiosity are also not uncommon. While a little more delicate than humans, they are intelligent, and are well suited to using magic. Skillful and agile, they are also make good Rangers and Fencers. They reach adulthood at the age of 15, and their lifespan is approximately 500 years. They usually become adventurers when they become adults, and their outward appearance ages slowly. Starting Languages: Can read and write Elvish (p.78) and Trade Common (p.78) Restricted Abilities: none Racial Abilities Darkvision: Can see in the darkness as well as they can during daytime. Salvation/Gentle Water: Can move as freely underwater as on land. Also while underwater, they can hold their breath for one hour (outside of water their breathing rate is the same as other races). After spending 1 hour submerged, they must spend one minute breathing normally. Elves can also speak normally while underwater. Elf Background (page 64) Dwarf Shorter than Humans, Dwarves are an able-bodied and strong-muscled race. Many of the men grow thick beards. The women do not grow beards, and as adults they resemble young human girls. Their head and body hair can range in color from blonde to red, and sometimes even more striking colors such as green and pink can be seen. While many of them are overly stubborn, they are also known to heavily cherish their companions. Possessed of self-discipline, and with an inborn potential to develop great strength, they can become excellent warriors. They are also famous for creating superior arms and other crafts. While in many cases they live in cities hewn out from the insides of mountains, they also fight with savage races and intermingle with humans, and there are many of them who become mercenaries and adventurers. They reach adulthood at the age of 15, and their lifespan is approximately 200 years. They usually become adventurers when they become adults, and continue to temper themselves until their death. Starting Languages: Can read and write Dwarven (p.78) and Trade Common (p.78) Restricted Abilities: none Racial Abilities Darkvision: Can see in the darkness as well as they can during daytime. Salvation/Body of Flame: Cannot be injured by fire attacks or magic, and receive no damage from fire-based effects or spells. They also cannot be burned or hurt by flames. Dwarf Background (page 65) Tabbit Tabbits have the shape of a 1 meter tall rabbit. Their fur can be various colors, and their arms and legs end in paws, but they use tools and wear shoes just like humans. They enjoy collecting information, and the pursuit of knowledge is a driving force in their lives. They demonstrate a superior talent for magic, and have the ability to easily use difficult spells. However, they are for some reason unable to learn holy magic; many tabbits think that "This is because we are descended from those gods who were defeated in the God Wars in ancient times and were cursed" (the true reason is unknown). As a tradeoff for their superior magical talent, because of their shorter arms and legs, their movements are slow and clumsy. They reach adulthood at the age of 10, with an average lifespan of 50 years. They often become adventurers at the age of 6, before becoming adults, and continue until they die. Starting Languages: Can read Ancient Celestial (p.78) and read and write Trade Common (p.78) Restricted Abilities: Priest Racial Abilities Sense: The ability to sense danger. When you make a Danger Sense Check (p.109), you use your "Adventurer Level + Intellect Bonus." Tabbit Background (page 66) Runefolk The Runefolk were not born naturally, but arose 2000 years ago, a race of constructs that was created by the magitech civilization. Fundamentally similar in shape to humans, they also must eat and sleep like them as well. The male-types mostly have a large build, while most of the female-types have a small build. They can still be differentiated from humans, however; their necks are always wrapped in a rigid covering, and their ears, parts of their face, legs or arms might also be made of a hardened material (the specifics are left up to the player). Runefolk excel in terms of physical strength and dexterity, and make excellent warriors and archers. They cannot hear the voices of the Gods, however, nor can they see the Fey, and so they are not very good with magic, but because of their origins it is common to see them become Gunmages. Their lifespan is measured by their operational time. They can operate stably for about 50 years, but thereafter will suddenly cease to operate (i.e. die). From the time they are born to the time they die their appearance does not change, and there are some who become adventurers immediately after they are born. Starting Languages: can read and write Magitech (p.78) and Trade Common (p.78) Restricted Abilities: Faerie Tamer, Priest Racial Abilities Darkvision: Can see in the darkness as well as they can during daytime. Conversion: In exchange for reducing your HP a certain number of points, you recover that same number of MP. The conversion requires 10 seconds (1 round), and can only be used once a day. Runefolk Background (page 67) Nightmare Nightmares are born to Human, Elven, or Dwarven parents, a variant race that appears suddenly. In most cases they are born to humans. They have one or two small horns on their head, and birthmarks on their body. They are extremely fair-skinned, but otherwise their appearance is no different from humans. Their aptitude as adventurers is higher than other races, and many of them are excellent magical warriors. Because of this, they are often welcomed into the adventuring life. Nightmares reach adulthood at the age of 15 but do not age after that. They do not have a fixed old age, and there is no record of a Nightmare dying from old age. There are many cases of them becoming adventurers before adulthood, and most of them continue to be adventurers until they die. Starting Languages: Nightmare PCs have the same starting languages as the race they are born to. Restricted Abilities: none Racial Abilities Form: As a support action (p.142), a Nightmare can instantaneously change to a unique form an unlimited number of times per day. Their horns increase in size and their skin turns pure white, they receive no penalty for using magic while wearing armor (p.126), and can cast spells without using the required verbal and somatic components (implements and others are still required). It takes a Nightmare 10 seconds (1 round) to revert to their humanoid form once transformed. Weakness: Nightmares take 2 extra points of damage from silver weapons and from certain elemental attacks determined by their race of origin: *Human: Earth Vulnerability *Elf: Water/Ice Vulnerability *Dwarf: Fire Vulnerability Nightmare Background (page 68) Determining the Abilities After rolling the abilities A-F according to the table below, each value is added to the core abilities Skill, Body and Heart. "1d" means to roll one die, "2d" means to roll two dice and add them together, "2d+6" means to roll dice and add 6 to the total. Write the values into the corresponding column on the character sheet. Below you find the explanation for each ability and the formula to calculate it. Dexterity = Skill + A Manual dexterity, the ability representing the skillful use of tools. A high value indicates extremely skilled tool usage, as well as a higher accuracy in combat. Agility = Skill + B Quickness of motion, the ability representing nimbleness. High values not only increase travel distance, but also increase the likelihood of avoiding attacks. Strength = Body + C The ability representing the capability of force. High values allow for the use of heavier weapons and armor, as well as increased damage to an opponent with melee attacks. Vitality = Body + D Toughness, the ability representing resilience. High values increase one's resistance to poison and disease, as well as increasing maximum HP. Intelligence = Mind + E Levelheadedness, the ability to express a depth of knowledge. Increases knowledge checks, as well as Spellcasting checks. Spirit = Mind + F The ability representing mental toughness. High values increase both magic resistance and maximum MP. Ability Bonuses Once ability scores are determined, ability bonuses are easily extrapolated from there. Each ability score is divided by six, with the remainder dropped, to determine that ability's bonus. Abilities and Ability Bonuses Rerolling Ability Scores When you roll dice for ability scores, if you do not like the results, you may choose to ask the GM to allow a reroll (though they may refuse!). If you do so, you must reroll all scores, not just the ones you like. To expedite character creation, this option should rarely be used, as it can take some time to re-create a character. In general, a player shouldn't reroll their ability scores more than three times. Learning Classes Classes can be broken down into three distinct groups; warrior classes (such as the Fighter or Fencer), wizard classes (such as the Conjurer or Faerie Tamer) and other classes (such as the Scout and Sage). A class can be automatically chosen as part of the background, purchased through experience points at character creation, or even learned after years of adventuring. Experience points are needed to learn a new class, and each class can be found on either the Major or Minor experience tables. In order to learn a new class, refer to the table that the desired class is on, and deduct the appropriate experience points from your total. If you want to learn a new class as a Fencer, for example, you would deduct 500 experience points (as Fencer is a Minor class) and write "Fencer 1" in the appropriate place on your character sheet. You can also increase the level of a class that has already been learned, by paying additional experience points depending upon the class to be raised. To continue the above example, to raise Fencer an additional level would cost 1500 experience points (500 for the first level, and another 1000 for the second). A table showing how many experience points it takes to level a class is shown below. Extra experience points carry over between sessions. Warrior Classes Fighter (Major) A capable man-at-arms, able to master any weapon or armor. Grappler (Major) An unarmed fighter, using punches, kicks, holds and throws as his weapons. When a level in Grappler is taken, the Combat Feats Chain Attack and Throw Attack are automatically learned. Fencer (Minor) A nimble warrior. With light weapons and armor, dances around combat like a pro. Marksman (Minor) Sitting in the back, takes aim with bows and guns. While Marksmen may deal with firearms, a Gunmage is required to imbue bullets for magical shots. Wizard Classes Sorcerer (Major) With knowledge of Truespeech magic, becomes a very capable combat mage. Requires a Magical Implement to use spells, and receives penalties to spellcasting when in armor. Conjurer (Major) Using knowledge of Manipulation magic, aids and assist others. Also manipulates dolls and golems. Requires a Magical Implement to use spells, and receives penalties to spellcasting when in armor. Priest (Major) A user of Divine magic, calling upon the gods and goddesses to heal and recover the wounded. Requires a Holy Seal to use spells. Faerie Tamer (Major) Summons a variety of Faeries to handle different magics. Because of the six abilities of Faeries (Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Light and Darkness), Faerie magics cover a wider area of uses. Requires a Gem to create a contract and use spells, and receives penalties to spellcasting when in armor. Gunmage (Major) With a Magisphere by their side, combines magic and technology into Magitech. Can create a variety of magical bullets and bombs. Requires a Magisphere to cast spells. Other classes Scout (Minor) A master of stealth, able to open locked doors and disarm traps. In addition, teaches how to heighten one's senses, allowing for faster initiative when starting combat. Requires Scout's Tools to perform class checks, and receives penalties to Scout class checks when in metal armor. Ranger (Minor) Primarily a field hunter, able to run and climb. Also knowledgable in regards to determining the weather and identifying flora and fauna. In addition, when using any sort of chemical/herb (such as Lifegrass or a Healing Potion), increases the benefits thereof. Sage (Minor) A book-loving scholar, each level allows the learning of a new language. Also, greatly increases one's knowledge-based checks. Quick Guide for Learning Classes When choosing which classes to level, it is not a bad idea to choose classes you already have. For example, a character with two levels in a class at the end of character creation has a pretty good grasp of that class. Also, it is never a bad idea to choose a 'warrior' or 'wizard' class, as it is much easier to participate in various combat situations when there are more options available. While you can create a character using all 'other' classes, it is definitely not recommended for beginner players. Learning Languages Language is key in exchanging ideas, and Raxia is no different. Characters who know the same language are able to communicate with one another far more easily than characters who don't. As a PC, you learn how to speak and write the common trade language at character creation. In addition, most races and magical classes (such as Conjurer or Faerie Tamer) have their own language. However, unlike most other languages, these must be learned by characters of the appropriate race or with the appropriate class. Also, you must learn how to read and write these languages at the same time, and cannot learn one or the other separately. Sages may learn one additional language each class level, either reading or writing. The tables below show which languages may be chosen. Racial Languages ※All PCs can read and write Trade Common. Magic Class Languages List of Languages Description of Languages Elvish Used by Elves and Mermen. It is characterized by eloquent, flowing speech with harsh pronunciation. It is said that other races find it difficult to learn. Giantish Used by Giants and Trolls. Its concise style is characterized by clear pronunciation. Trade Common Immediately after the wars with the barbaros, only merchants and adventurers traveled the lands, and invented their own language to talk among themselves. Over time, this language spread, and took root in many civilizations. It is a simple language, interlaced with direct expressions of concepts. Ancient Celestial An archaic language, mainly found on old monuments. Surprisingly, Tabbits can read this language, and believe it is the words of the gods themselves. Regional Dialect Indigenous languages, with each region having its own slight variations. Dragonic Used by Dragons and Dragonkin. A wholly spoken language, Dragonic does not have a written alphabet. The pronunciation is a combination of forcing air through fangs and growling, so a non-Dragon has a very difficult time learning the language. Drakish Used by Drakes, Lamia and Ogres. In addition, it was used by much of the ruling class of the barbaros. It is a rather complex language, with expressive grammar and strong pronunciation. Dwarven The language of the Dwarves. Characterized by simple phrases and clear pronunciation, though individual words tend to be longer. In addition, speakers tend to talk rather rapidly and often sound angry. Barbaric A language created to unite the diverse tribes of the barbaros. Formed from very short words, with very direct meanings such as "kill them", "hungry", etc. Also includes sign language to convey meanings, though intricacies are often lost. Demonic Solely the language of Demons. Spoken in words similar to a spell or curse, this language is extremely difficult to understand. There is no written component, to boot. Magitech Widely used by the fallen Al Menas Empire, whose height of power was about 300 years ago. A straightforward language, it also acts as a command language for Magispheres. Arcana The language of the long-forgotten Durandal Empire, lost to history 3,000 years ago. It is mainly used in the writing and speaking of spells. Normal conversation is incredibly difficult, but not impossible. Sylvan A spoken language used to communicate with Faeries, characterized by a buoyant sound and lilting voice. Vocabulary of the language is rather small, and there is no concept of time, past, present or future. Goblin Goblins, Kobolds and Boggarts use this crude language on a daily basis. It has poor vocabulary and grammar, and is very direct. To a human's ear, it sounds rather annoying, with a menacing undertone. Other Languages of other various monsters, such as Ogres, Gilmen, Minotaurs, Centaurs, etc. Determining Adventurer Level After spending experience on classes, the Adventurer Level is simply the highest class level of all currently known classes. Even far into the campaign, a character's Adventurer Level is the highest class level among classes they have, no matter which class or how high a level. Adventurer Level is used rarely, though it is important to know when it is used. There are times where the GM may call for an Adventuring check, or maybe a character's Fortitude or Willpower check is required. HP is also affected by Adventurer Level, as seen below. Determining HP & MP HP represents a character's toughness and durability. The higher the HP, the more damage that can be sustained by that character. MP represents the amount of mana the character can use. Higher MP allows for more magic usage. A character's starting HP and MP are determined as follows: HP = Vitality + (Adventurer Level x 3) MP = Spirit + (Total Levels o f all Magical Classes x 3) Learning Combat Feats Combat Feats are special abilities that characters can learn to diversify their talents in combat. There are a variety of Combat Feats, some of which give bonuses to actions, others allow a new talent to be used, yet others allow for a complete change in tactics. Two characters with the same classes can fight with two vastly different tactical approaches based on the different set of Combat Feats. When creating a PC of 1st or 2nd level, you may learn one of the following Combat Feats. At 3rd level and each odd level thereafter, a character may choose another Combat Feat. Combat Feats include Passive Combat Feats, which do not need to be activated, and Active Combat Feats, of which one may be activated as a free action each turn. Grappler characters automatically learn the Passive Combat Feat 'Chain Attack' and the Active Combat Feat 'Throw Attack' upon taking their first level in Grappler. Combat Feats may not be taken multiple times in order to stack the effects, unless otherwise noted. Combat Feats Available at Character Creation Passive Combat Feats Active Combat Feats Grappler-only Combat Feats Recommended Combat Feats If you have trouble choosing a Combat Feats, here is a list of recommended Combat Feats tailored to each class. Purchasing Equipment Before heading out on an adventure, it would be wise for a PC to purchase the equipment, weapons and armor needed to perform their classes' abilities and actions. Items such as Magical Implements, tools, curative items, and even accessories should be bought to make daily life that much easier. Going without a vital tool, implement or even armor or a weapon is ill-advised, as that would hinder survival. In fact, most veteran adventurers see purchasing equipment as a prerequisite to becoming a full-fledged adventurer. A new character receives 1,200G (Gamels) in starting money to spend on equipment. It is expected that the character buy necessary items to go out adventuring with this money. It is up to each GM to determine whether or not PCs may share their wealth when buying starting equipment during character creation. Anything you purchase for your character should be written down in the appropriate spot on the character sheet. If you end up not buying an item due to a lack of money, check the item lists to determine if perhaps a lesser item is available and affordable. A PC may also be able to negotiate with merchants, receiving a particular item or piece of equipment as compensation for services rendered. Below is an excerpt of class-specific items that enable one ability or another to be used. Equipment Required for each Class ¤: Consumable item, one-use only Equipment and Accessory Areas Once you're successfully purchased equipment or accessories, write each item in its appropriate place on the character sheet. Each area may only hold one accessory, but an accessory may be equipped to the Other area instead of the area where it is supposed to go. Weapons and armor do not count towards equipment areas, so a character may wear a ring on the same hand their are wielding a weapon in. While you may not be able to wear multiple items in an accessory area, you can store them in a backpack. Do note that it is typically very difficult to retrieve such items quickly in the heat of combat. Please refer to the descriptions on page 228 for more details on accessories. Final Touches Finally, after taking the time to come up with a quick history, name, age and gender, the PC is complete. Now go out and enjoy the adventures to be found in the world of Raxia!